Venezuela has faced numerous crises in the last months, including repeated blackouts, water shortages, and continued hyperinflation. Leading the country through these events has not been the President, Nicolas Maduro, but US-backed opposition leader Juan Guaido. Guaido recently declared himself interim President, saying Maduro’s presidency is illegitimate. The United States agrees with Guaido, with Vice President Mike Pence asking the UN to recognize Guaido as Venezuela’s leader. Additionally, Pence is pledging $60 million in humanitarian aid on behalf of the US to help Venezuela after the year’s events. Guaido’s envoy also represents Venezuela in the Organization of American States (OAS) as the official delegate. These events have led Maduro to accuse the US of helping Guaido stage a coup. Certain countries still support Maduro as Venezuela’s leader, such as Cuba, Russia, Turkey, and China. Between the issue of Venezuela’s leader and a deepening humanitarian crisis, Venezuela is currently a vital issue to the UN.
After the last few weeks following South American news, I have focused a lot on Venezuela. Between the issue of the presidency and the humanitarian crisis with the blackouts, Venezuela is continuing to make headlines. I am not surprised that the United States is supporting Guaido’s opposition leadership, or that the US is pushing further to help him become officially recognized by the UN. The US is also offering financial support to Venezuela, probably to bring the attention of other states to the current crises. With the US as the global hegemon, it has the resources and the power to influence other states into sharing its views. Clearly, this influence is helping Guaido, since his envoy is now the official delegate to the OAS, a major IGO. I wonder how far the US will go to ensure Guaido’s power and whether the UN will agree.